Around the Chinese: Russia was flooded with new brands of household appliances
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Weaning from familiar brands
The most sought-after purchase of Russians last Black Friday, November 11, was small household appliances – people took advantage of discounts to upgrade vacuum cleaners, food processors and smartphones. Here are just the phrase “Chinese means excellent!” stopped being a joke. Every day there are more and more electronics of Chinese origin in our lives – and this is not the limit! Ever since European brands announced their withdrawal from Russia, retailers and consumers have had to turn their faces to the East.
According to one of the largest Russian banks, the demand for set-top boxes and antennas has increased 5 times compared to last year, and for smart home devices – 3.5 times. At the same time, the costs of radio-controlled devices, audio equipment and video equipment have approximately halved. Sales of gadgets, laptops, tablets and computers sank by a third. It seems that the Russians are confused and cannot find their bearings in a timely manner – what to buy and, most importantly, whether to buy now.
As Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, told MK, today we are primarily talking about changing (often forced) habits of buyers, and not about empty shelves in stores.
— In general, the electronics market lives in a normal mode. There is no shortage. We have deliveries from China, we have parallel imports. On the shelves – what the buyer needs, only a nuance: these are unusual brands, unfamiliar. For example, one of the leading Chinese brands today, Haier, has occupied a premium niche. The consumption model has changed: people are ready to settle for unusual brands, but on the condition that things last a long time. Therefore, now, for example, sales of expensive iPhones have sunk, but sales of the “Chinese” of the middle segment have grown. And you need to understand: for those who really want to buy equipment of the usual brand, there is such an opportunity. Only with difficulties – prices jump, there is no official guarantee from the manufacturer, and it will not be possible to buy goods in the store closest to the house, you will have to order.
According to Murtazin, the most difficult thing is with large goods – washing machines, etc. There are no official restrictions on the import of household appliances (or their export to Russia), but the brands themselves decide to abandon the Russian market. So you can only rely on parallel imports. What used to be called European brands – Bosh, Siemens, Mielle – has disappeared, and it is being transported at exorbitant prices by roundabout ways. Accordingly, if the buyer agrees to “gray” imports, he must understand: technical support will not work, he will only have to trust the seller’s service, and repair it on his own, without hope for a guarantee.
There really is something else to be found. Many retailers rely heavily on parallel imports of familiar brands. For example, in one of the largest stores, prices for Samsung refrigerators start from 49 thousand rubles, for BOSH refrigerators – from 38 thousand and reach 150-200 thousand rubles when it comes to large models. At the same time, it is almost always indicated on the site: they say that this model remained only in 2 copies, but this one is in the only one, moreover, at the other end of Moscow. Familiar washing machines (Candy, Indesit, Gorenje) cost 25-35 thousand rubles, if we are talking about “babies”, and about 65 thousand rubles, if we talk about large full-fledged models. Chinese manufacturers have occupied a middle niche – a full-fledged washing machine can be bought for 45 thousand rubles.
Earlier observant Muscovites noted that brand zones (corners) of the Apple brand began to close in electronics stores. Recall that the official deliveries of the brand to Russia have been stopped, and the company refuses to invest in advertising and marketing promotion. Therefore, it is not worth counting on the help of a consultant from the brand today. Those who still intend to buy an iPhone should rely on their own knowledge. At the same time, there is an opposite pattern – new brands from Turkey and China, such as Xiaomi, Realme and Tecno, have acquired their own brand zones. The fact is that they just need to promote their products and someone to tell the potential buyer about them in more detail. All Chinese electronics that officially enter the domestic market come with a white guarantee and are serviced at authorized service centers.
Among Chinese brands of household appliances, which can still be called underestimated among Russian consumers, Anker, Orro or Hisense are noted. Part of the market can be occupied by Turkish manufacturers. For example, Vestel has long been producing equipment under the brands Toshiba, Hitachi and JVC. Giants like Xiaomi, Lenovo or Huawei need no introduction – the Russians actively used their products even before the crisis.
Newspaper headline:
Hello, young firm, unfamiliar
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